Hi Meg,
I'm so happy to read and share your blog this year again. It is a bright spot in my crazy crazy day! We are all doing fine here. I had some unfortunate news in that my grandpa passed away a few days before Thanksgiving. I'm glad that he finally went "home" but he was so full of life. He passed away at 90 and still had a daily job and lived on his own. He went "downhill" quickly, which is just the way he would have wanted it.
We packed up the family, drove 14 hours to PA, and celebrated his life and visited tons of family we never see anymore. During this trip two things really stood out. The first was a teaching lesson for me and the kids as we stood in my grandpa's house wondering what to do with all of his things. You see, all of the "stuff" that clutters our life is so unimportant. It doesn't matter what type of material things we possess as it doesn't go with us. The only important
things that he valued were the people standing in his kitchen.
My second lesson stood out as Sydney (now 12) stood in front of an old, enormous cathedral and beautifully read a scripture at the funeral. She looked so poised and read so eloquently that I felt like I didn't know who that young lady was. Was she really the little girl I spent hours trying to get to sleep at night? When did she grow up? And why have I felt like I missed out on that process?
I am now learning, and conscious of, living in the "present" and not saying, "just a minute". I don't want to miss out on any more!
Wishing you and your family a beautiful Advent,
Debbie Connelly
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
Debbie ~ I am sorry about your grandfather's passing. And your comment about stuff is a theme that has been playing over and over in my mind. Especially this time of year, when we set out intentionally to buy more stuff. I can't keep up with all the stuff we keep accumulating.
What matters most is seeing our children grow up and mature in ways that surprise us...I want to pour my time into that this Christmas and not worry about buying them more stuff. Quite the quandary.
Glad you are blogging again Meg.
Jamie, Wish I could blog year round like you, my blog hero! But this time has become sacred for me and though its the busiest time of year, opportunities just happen and beg to be posted. Somehow the schedule just opens up, it's like the loaves and fishes for Christmastime!
I love Debbie's post too and so glad she shared. It's always amazing the things you learn at funerals. Life and the circle thereof have so much to teach us.
My condolences to you, Debbie. My Gramma passed away Oct. 12 and had returned from a trip to London a week prior! We have had one heck of a time with her possessions; she was a collector and a bit of a packrat! It is interesting to see people's responses to funerals and deaths of loved ones. One of mine has been to clear out the clutter from my home, purge the junk/donate in an effort to feel free to spend more time with loved ones instead of "organinzing"!!
Well, maybe I have cleaned out some of my brain cells too in my effort to declutter... That would be spelled "organizing"!
Whatever lightens your load Amy! :)
Post a Comment